Where Does Everyone Get Their News?

I apologize in advance if I'm putting this in the wrong forum. Wasn't sure where to post this question and this seemed the closest fit among the set. If it's the wrong spot then this post can be deleted and I won't raise any fuss.

Anywho, I was wondering peoples' preferred news sources were. Reason I ask is the past few days I've talked with my brother about a few political issues here and there. He often links articles on Facebook and so on. Thing is my brother, and the articles he links, have a strong conservative bend to them. My brother isn't the knee-jerk type conservative (ex: he has no problem w/ gay marriage, but does feel the way it was forced through the courts may itself have been illegal) but I can't find myself agreeing with the stuff he sends out.

Part of that is because on social issues I lean more liberally. But the main reason is because I simply cannot take anything politics related seriously. It feels like every time something politics related comes up, it ends up with both sides saying the same thing: I'm right and if you disagree you're wrong and an enemy of the state.

The kicker for this post is an article my brother linked about the FDA banning trans-fats. I was curious, and the article immediately lost me when it used the phrase "government overlords." At that instant, to my mind, it became less about whatever the article claimed to be about and more about "Obama did something and it is Bad."

So I've come to feel I want to beef up my knowledge on the subjects and start following the news a little more closely. Thing is, I'm not sure how to do that. Yeah there's watching the news or reading articles, but there's so many places to do both I'm not sure where to begin. I want to find sources I can take seriously, who won't just mock the other side because they're the other side.

So to that end is the question in the title: Where do folks who debate here find their news? How can I determine whether or not a source is, if not neutral, then moderate enough that I can read the news without feeling like I'm also reading an agenda?

edited 29th Jun '15 1:50:58 PM by sgamer82

I'll open this one. It helps to diversify your sources, but it's impossible for any one person to stay completely informed all the time while at the same time avoiding bias. There aren't enough hours in the century.

I avoid television news except for on-the-spot coverage of new events, and even then I take it with a huge grain of salt. The entire conservative information sphere is pretty much anathema, starting with Fox News and moving rightward. I only pay attention to them through the lens of satirical media like The Daily Show.

My major information sources are blogger-pundits like Paul Krugman and Brad DeLong, left-leaning but non-radical sites like ThinkProgress, Rachel Maddow, the aforementioned Daily Show, and so forth. I get a lot of my information from this forum as well, in the U.S. Politics and General Economics topics. Facebook is good as an aggregator but never as a primary source — make sure that you check the source material!

I'll read almost anything that I'm linked to, even if it's blatantly right-wing (or left-wing, for that matter), to get a sampling of the bias. Once you've done this a bit, it becomes really easy to tell any given writer's ideological precepts, which helps you "de-skew" the information.

Oh, some general tips... look for sources that are willing to be self-critical and revise opinions that are wrong. Nobody is ever 100% accurate or 100% knowledgeable. Being able to recognize this is a great sign that a writer is intellectually honest. If someone tells you that they are "completely unbiased", they are lying. If someone claims to have the "real truth" that nobody else is willing or able to share, run away fast.

FYI, studies have shown that people who use Fox News as a primary information source are less informed about the facts than people who watch no news at all, and far less informed than people who follow centrist or left-wing media. That should tell you something.

edited 29th Jun '15 9:40:23 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

I listen to the English version of Deutsche Welle Radio News.

I watch the local news stations for anything post-worthy, spam Google search for an credible link that's based off of said story to post here, then go back to trawling the internet for the next big thing.

Answer no master, never the slave Carry your dreams down into the grave Every heart, like every soul, equal to break

Even on-the-spot I'm wary of. I think my first real experience with this sort of thing was back in 9/11 was happening and I distinctly remember being disgusted because the news channels (or at least one) had already made intro-graphics for it. I enjoy the Daily Show from time to time as well, as well as Alonzo Bodden's podcast "Who's Paying Attention" (more liberal-leaning than conservative). Honestly, it's kind of sad that I find stand up comedians a more reliable source of news, if only because they're more inclined to mock everything.

edited 30th Jun '15 12:54:59 AM by sgamer82

Here mainly, we're pretty good at bringing news in. I read most of OTC so I don't miss that much. So basically a crowdsource my news reading to you guys.

Otherwise it's the BBC website (I have breaking news alerts go to my phone) and satirical news shows (The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, The News Quiz, The Now Show, Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You).

edited 30th Jun '15 3:05:33 AM by Silasw

"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran

I use On-Topic Conversations.

In addition to that, I peruse the Reuters and BBC websites, as well as the websites of local newspapers. I used to use Circa until they (regrettably) ran out of money. I do watch segments of Last Week Tonight uploaded to YouTube, but I don't watch it often due to not having a HBO subscription and the school blocking all streaming content.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot

I usually use Google News.

Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.

NPR, Vox.com, (although sometimes they can be a little too caught up on using charts and infographics to try to explain things) sometimes Nate Silver's site 538, although it frequently spends a lot of time and energy being sports obsessed, to the point where it's a turn off, occasionally the BBC. When looking for news in the states, I often do a bit of googling around and come up with a local source, (for example, Wisconsin sources have a lot to say about Wisconsin governor Scott Walker's idiotic policies and corruption) and the rest is what I see shared on sites where I discuss politics.

Jon Oliver is very informative, and the Daily Show is fun and frequently worth a look, but it is worth keeping in mind they're not trained journalists, and guests have gotten stuff over on them, or they've been flat out wrong on the air and such, so always remember to keep just a little but back.

Avoid Faux News and the general right wing infosphere at all costs.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |

This forum and the BBC usually. I also get Private Eye delivered.

Direct all enquiries to Jamie B Good

Believe it or not... mostly you guys, these days. This forum is surprisingly objective and well-balanced when it comes to finding accurate news and the various sides of a story, the Ukraine thread being one of the better examples. Both Shrina and Emuran really do deserve a pat in the back for their efforts in that one.

Otherwise I'll mostly just browse my Facebook's CNN feed, or sometimes MSNBC. Both have a nasty habit of random sensationalism and bias towards conservative groups, but it seems to balance out since they're often right about said groups being a bit kooky. And when they are wrong, I've found it's pretty easy to sense the errors or bias within the article, at which point I know to start looking elsewhere.

I also tend to occasionally give myself a case of depression and headaches whenever I'm dumb enough to gander at the article's Facebook comments. Lord knows why I torture myself that way, I already know very well that news articles, ESPECIALLY with Facebook links have a habit of attracting conspiracy theorists and people with a horrid sense of humor or sarcasm.

Otherwise it's very much a case-by-case basis. I like some of VICE's stuff and how in-depth their mini-documentaries can be, but I know they tend to add a bit of drama or exaggeration to some stories; again, Ukraine again comes to mind since both the best and worst of VICE appeared during that conflict.

What I don't get from here in OTC, I usually get from seeing it on Facebook and then searching CNN or Huff Post for the nonless-clickbaity version.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

I mostly use Yahoo News (which get their articles from AP, Reuters and other sources), Euronews and BBC. I used to go for Al Jazeera too but stopped as I couldn't resist wading into the hatred and extremism-fest that's their Comments sections.

Here; the Beeb in versions radio (5 Live, usually), web and TV; Yahoo News sometimes; Bing occasionally; rarely Sky News and/or CNN. The Metro when people leave it behind on public transport or in cafes. And, strangely... Disqus.

I sometimes even read the free, local rag that gets shoved through my door: but, that's usually by accident when, e.g. mopping up an impromptu freezer defrost. It's mostly ads and lists of people I'm never going to put faces to.

edited 30th Jun '15 2:40:44 PM by Euodiachloris

BBC for most general news, CBC for Canadian stuff and a local site or two for stuff pertaining to the city.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.

I just wanted to post real quick to say thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I'll definitely take some of them to heart maybe start following the forum more closely in general. I'm not sure how much good I'll be at comment and debate so I'll probably mostly lurk.

Good threads for that are US Politics, Economics, all three Sexism threads, the Race thread. And of course, the various Science threads around, though sadly none of those get a whole lot of discussion, but they do show you all kinds of nifty stuff.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

The different regional/national/issue political threads are generally good to follow. The issues ones can act as a real crash course in that issue while the regional/national ones are generally really good hubs for information about a specific area.

"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran

A combination of things:

Various forums (including this one) Local news (primary for me) National news (Anything that isn't Fox News) Various internet articles People that I know IRL Car Radio

The world is inherently chaotic no amount of religion, conspiracy or wishful thinking will change that, accept it, and move on.

I love npr for news and I'm always reading the threads on this website. Also i watch every episode of last week tonight and i listen to John Oliver's podcast the bugle

Presenting!